You live on the world of Falcilo. The fifth from your sun, and about the size of Mars, it is covered by an ocean of salt water and a single supercontinent, which bears the name of the planet.

To the northwest is the oligarchy of Hukvin. Its capital city of Dirbrusk houses the three families whose reign over the nation predates written history. The Gitol family currently holds the greatest sway, with the consolidation of the bulk of the nation’s industrial power, but from one generation to the next, the Batosh and Gredin families, who command the nation’s military and agricultural might respectively, have also taken the reins and could easily do so again.

Hukvin is the coldest of the five nations; north of the Godstooth Mountains the ground never thaws, and even to the south winters are long and harsh. North of the mountains, the nationis largely tundra and forest, dotted with mostly-frozen lakes and rivers. Few cities are found there, and a mountain pass through Ironmount, the tallest mountain in Hukvin, is the main hub between north and south. South of the mountains, Hukvin is mostly hills and plains, with lakes and a few rivers comprising the main water sources.

Major cities boast beautiful architecture – onion domes atop cylindrical towers are a trademark of the grander designs of both Hukvin and Zayid; where the style originated is unknown to mankind, but hotly debated to this day between the two neighboring nations. The deity most commonly worshiped is Moradin, but religious freedom is a point of pride for Hukviners, and any medium-sized city will have at least a modest temple to each of the Five Faiths.

Southeast of Hukvin lies Zayid – the central nation, the largest on the continent and perhaps the most prosperous thanks to most international trade being conducted there. The king is dead, and two factions have arisen to see who will take King Shahbaz’s throne in a civil war which has brought more unrest to the Zayidi people than usual. Eastern and Western factions are represented by the king’s cousin and brother, respectively. The two sides are evenly matched in military might – Lord Naseem, the king’s cousin, has slightly more troops at his command. However, the king’s brother, Duke Bahram, has slightly better ones. Zayid shares a border with each of the other four nations, and trade relations have been very good, with only a slight hiccup since the war.

Zayid is home to long, dry summers and mild winters, with snow seldom seen south of the Godstooth Mountains. The mountains to the north and the Threefold Forest in the east leave afair part of Zayid largely wild. To the south, Zayid is largely rolling plains with a few hills. The Salted Desert in the south is a harsh, arid, nearly lifeless plane; the few settlements there are filled with cruel cutthroats and best avoided. Zayid is grudgingly tolerant of other religions, but Pelor is the undisputed most worshipped deity in the nation; even small towns have a temple of Pelor, and only larger cities host a temple of the other Five Faiths.

Both sides, out of respect to the former King, have vowed not to occupy or attack the capital city of Tahmaseb until the war is over and a new king is crowned. Tahmaseb has thereforegrown even larger than the population hub it was before the war. Shanty towns of refugees line the city for a mile in every direction, and the world-famous Qadir Bazaar has grown even larger and does even more business than before. With enough money and the right connections, there are exceedingly few things that cannot be bought there.

The nation of Paskutu is east of Zayid. Hardly a nation at all in its own right, Paskutu is a feudal nation of tribal warlords at near-constant war with one another, the borders of each individual fiefdom known only to its ruler and never adjusted by more than a few miles in either direction. However, the Tulani tribe is considered the most powerful of the dozen or so smaller nations that make up Paskutu – partially because they have the most warriors, but mostly becauseChief Tukupasya currently occupies the Cobalt Temple, a labyrinthine palace carved into the base of Seamount, the easternmost and largest mountain in the Godstooth Mountain range. According to legend, the Cobalt Temple was hewn from the rock by Paskutu himself, a god-king who united the tribes and formed the nation of Paskutu as it is known today. Whoever sits on the throne has dominion over the other tribes until ousted, but Tukupasya’s reign is the longest in decades, and Paskutu is just beginning to settle and cooperate under his rule.

Much of Paskutu is covered in forest and jungle, dotted frequently with marshes and swamps. Summers are long, hot and humid. Winters are mild, but bring months of seemingly endless rain. The plains to the east and mountains to the north make for some of the most beautiful country Falcilo has to offer, for those willing to overlook the chaos that surrounds them. Where organized religion is found, the temple is usually to Melora. However, the capital city of Chicumba, where the Cobalt Temple sits, houses a temple to each of the Five Faiths, and temples to each of them can be found scattered elsewhere.

While it may seem backward and primitive to outsiders, Paskutu is home to healthy trade with the other nations. Wealthy hunters the world over pay handsomely just to be entered into a lottery for a guided safari of Paskutu, and those who are allowed the opportunity are never disappointed. While most villages have little in the way of permanent structures, where it is found Paskutu architecture is simple but elegant, designed to outlast its creators by centuries. Tukupasya’s rule has brought with it a unity not seen since Paskutu himself and one of the benefits of that unity is a stark increase in the complexity and commonality of more modern technologies, particularly from Laryeren.

The nation of Pektohata lies to the southwest of Falcilo, and shares a border with Hukvin in the north, Laryeren in the east, and Zayid to the northeast along the Tukultec River and Lake Xochitl. Pektohata is officially a theocracy, with Heironeous as the head of state, but a small cadre of priests has made the nation a religious oligarchy, imposing their will as the word of Heironeous, even as some of their edicts do not seem to match those of the church.

Pektohata is a nation of mostly plains and fields, as well as the western half of the tropical island chain to the south of Falcilo. Known as the Sweet Islands, the chain is divided in half north to south; Pektohata controls all islands west of Eel Island, while Laryeren controls the ones east of Scythe Island. Eastern Pektohata is slowly losing ground to the Salted Desert, so named because legend says after an ancient king was defeated there his lands were covered in salt, to ensure nothing grew there again. The barren desert is slowly encroaching on Pektohata, aswell as southern Zayid and western Laryeren. Pektohata enjoys distinct seasons, with hot summers and cool winters but temperate spring and autumn seasons as well. As implied by the political ruling body, Pektohata’s official deity is Heironeous, and any city with a temple to any of the Five Faiths will include one of Heironeous as well.

The people of Pektohata build and use enormous, ornate pyramids in many of their religious ceremonies, and the architecture of their more common buildings reflects it. Amazinglycomplex ruins, once used for star charting, now go largely unused and unnoticed, built for a mostly-forgotten ancient god of the stars. However, the quality of these still-standing ruins is

evident in the more modern religious halls and even homes and marketplaces. Pektohata’s capitalcity of Matlal has architecture composed of basic, earth-toned building materials decorated with ornate and colorful jewels, paints and tapestries. Jewelry made in Pektohata is sought worldwide for its beauty.

To the southeast is Laryeren. The only democracy on Falcilo, Laryeren has fallen prey to political corruption on many levels. Politicians’ opinions are easily swayed with money and favors, and a handful of large corporations all but own Laryeren. While Laryeren has not seen a violent overthrow of a leader since becoming a democracy, civil unrest is high, especially as the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider.

Laryeren is, without question, the most technologically advanced of the five nations. Major cities have towers of glass and steel that dwarf the tallest buildings of the other nations. A vast, complex network of paved roads crosses the nation, and engineers from Laryeren are in negotiations with other nations to create the Falcilo Cross – a massive roadway that would stretch from Laryeren’s capital city of Rocen to Dirbrusk, and from Matlal to Chicumba, with thetwo roads meeting at Tahmaseb. Laryeren is fervent in its worship of Erathis, and beautifully ornate temples have been constructed throughout Laryeren, eclipsing the temples of the rest of the Five Faiths while still happily allowing them.

While the Threefold Forest, Sweet Islands and Salted Desert do leave wilderness within Laryeren, the nation strives to ‘civilize’ all the lands within its borders. Perhaps Laryeren’s greatest technological advancement is Rocen itself, which is being used as a template for other cities across the nation. Rocen consists of three distinct sections; the Overcity, a gleaming utopia of high-class buildings and people, the Ground City, a middle-class section at ground level, and the Lower City, an underground slum which houses Rocen’s poorest, as well as Farwen Federal Penitentiary.

This is where you find yourself. Whether due to punishment for crimes committed or as apolitical prisoner who interfered with the agenda of the wrong powerful person, you are locked in the most secure prison in Laryeren – perhaps in all of Falcilo. But if you keep your wits about you and find a few like-minded people, maybe you can get the hell out of here…